Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire: A review of a language learning styles survey

Abstract

This paper presents a critical review about the most widely used self-report for measuring learning styles in the field of language teaching: the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ), by Joy M. Reid (1987). The following issues have been addressed: 1) the description of the questionnaire, 2) its elaboration process, 3) its theoretical foundations, 4) its dissemination in the scientific community, 5) the translated versions, 6) the research fields in which it has been, used and 7) an analysis of its validity and reliability. The review is based on a corpus of 65 works that have used the PLSPQ. The main aim of this review is to provide data on the validity and reliability of the PLSPQ. In this regard, among the conclusions drawn from the review is the fact that the PLSPQ is presented as an instrument with no consistent levels of validity and reliability and therefore in need of profound improvement in this regard or, if not, its use is discouraged.